--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: a picked-clean skeleton sitting there in…" description: "\"“a picked-clean skeleton sitting there in one of ‘em with its seatbelt still on like it might crank the engine”\" — Hugh Howey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fe/hugh-howey-841_skeleton_a-picked-clean-skeleton-sitting-there-in_379121.png" --- # a picked-clean skeleton sitting there in one of ‘em with… ![“a picked-clean skeleton sitting there in one of ‘em with its seatbelt still on like it might crank the engine” quote by Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fe/hugh-howey-841_skeleton_a-picked-clean-skeleton-sitting-there-in_379121.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fe/hugh-howey-841_skeleton_a-picked-clean-skeleton-sitting-there-in_379121.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fe/hugh-howey-841_skeleton_a-picked-clean-skeleton-sitting-there-in_379121.png) > ““a picked-clean skeleton sitting there in one of ‘em with its seatbelt still on like it might crank the engine”” [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A skeleton remains in a car, seatbelt on, as if ready to start. **In simple terms:** A dead body sits in a car, seatbelt still fastened. Key Takeaway Consider the absurdity of clinging to lifeless things. Themes absurdity death materialism Mood dark thoughtful Type literary visual When to use this quote - automotive accidents - storytelling - visual art - null Key Concepts existentialism symbolism Questions to Reflect On - What does the seatbelt symbolize? - How does this image affect your perception of death? A Different Perspective The image may be overly graphic for some audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [I've put on a helmet more times than I've buckled a seatbelt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraint-thomas/i-ve-put-on-a-helmet-more-times-than-i-ve-buckled-a-seatbelt/) [Geraint Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraint-thomas/) > [If you really believe death leads to eternal bliss then why are you wearing a seatbelt?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/if-you-really-believe-death-leads-to-eternal-bliss-then-why-are-you/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [“Since the days after car seats and booster seats I have harped and drilled and grilled my son about always wearing his seatbelt because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-kunz/since-the-days-after-car-seats-and-booster-seats-i-have-harped-and/) Michelle Kunz > [YOU put YOUR seatbelt on!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-cullen/you-put-your-seatbelt-on/) [Edward Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-cullen/) > [“He huffed. I twisted to the left, leaned over him, and reached around his body. “What are you doing?” he asked, alarmed. “I’m hugging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynne-channing/he-huffed-i-twisted-to-the-left-leaned-over-him-and-reached-around/) [Wynne Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynne-channing/) > [“Always strap in. 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I knew very well that he gloated inside.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-evangelista/he-opened-the-door-for-me-with-an-impassive-expression-oh-but-he/) [Kate Evangelista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-evangelista/) > [“It’s like when you’re flying in an airplane. Whenever severe turbulence comes along, the seatbelt keeps you from getting thrown around the cabin. Mindful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/it-s-like-when-you-re-flying-in-an-airplane-whenever-severe/) [Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [Even in the limo, I buckle my seatbelt. I got that seatbelt on before the car moves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/even-in-the-limo-i-buckle-my-seatbelt-i-got-that-seatbelt-on-before/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [Years ago, people didn't wear seatbelts. Now, most people wouldn't get in a car without putting a seatbelt on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kelly/years-ago-people-didn-t-wear-seatbelts-now-most-people-wouldn-t-get/) [John F. Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kelly/) > [Using a condom Is like wearing your seatbelt. You don't wear it for traffic cops but for your own good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thulani-dube/using-a-condom-is-like-wearing-your-seatbelt-you-don-t-wear-it-for/) Thulani Dube > [“I need a seatbelt on an airplane like a hole in the head,” thought Jane, as she smiled back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-nicolaisen/i-need-a-seatbelt-on-an-airplane-like-a-hole-in-the-head-thought-jane/) [Chris Nicolaisen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-nicolaisen/) > [“But this is much better than around the block! Yee-haw, baby! Hold onto your seatbelt, ‘cause we’re gonna fly!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milly-taiden/but-this-is-much-better-than-around-the-block-yee-haw-baby-hold-onto/) [Milly Taiden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milly-taiden/) ## More by Hugh Howey > [“the mind-numbing routine. It was the castration of thought,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-mind-numbing-routine-it-was-the-castration-of-thought/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [Even in the darkness, his smile threw shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/even-in-the-darkness-his-smile-threw-shadows/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“The Loud came before the quiet. 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Juliette’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/people-from-it-sent-to-replace-those-they-d-killed-juliette-s/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“a heap of words designed to hinder communication rather than facilitate it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-heap-of-words-designed-to-hinder-communication-rather-than/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“That leaves Bravo Company, the expendables who know what they’re doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/that-leaves-bravo-company-the-expendables-who-know-what-they-re-doing/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Sleep was a vehicle for passing the time, for avoiding the present. It was a trolley for the depressed, the impatient, and the dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/sleep-was-a-vehicle-for-passing-the-time-for-avoiding-the-present-it/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Overhead, tangles of wires knotted together in a grand display of unplanned infrastructure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/overhead-tangles-of-wires-knotted-together-in-a-grand-display-of/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Montana wants to scream, but the thing she is angry at is in the past. The past can’t hear her. This is the thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/montana-wants-to-scream-but-the-thing-she-is-angry-at-is-in-the-past/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I guess what I'm sayin' is, if you want to give Jules a job, be very careful.” “Why be careful?” Marnes asked. Marck gazed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-guess-what-i-m-sayin-is-if-you-want-to-give-jules-a-job-be-very/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [One of the many things that surprised me about 'Wool' is how many of its fans don't consider themselves science fiction readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/one-of-the-many-things-that-surprised-me-about-wool-is-how-many-of/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“We have allowed a dangerous forest to grow as we try to guard against individual trees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/we-have-allowed-a-dangerous-forest-to-grow-as-we-try-to-guard-against/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“You’re . . . a rock,” I tell the rock. “The fuck I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/you-re-a-rock-i-tell-the-rock-the-fuck-i-am/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I hated Sundays as a kid. From the moment I woke up, I could feel Monday looming,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-hated-sundays-as-a-kid-from-the-moment-i-woke-up-i-could-feel/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) [Explore all 351 Hugh Howey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) ## More Skeleton quotes > [I wasn't born to be a skeleton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panic-at-the-disco-2/i-wasn-t-born-to-be-a-skeleton/) Panic! At The Disco > [“Outside, the sleet had gotten thicker. You could hear it pebbling against the large glass windows, you could see it swirling wildly through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/outside-the-sleet-had-gotten-thicker-you-could-hear-it-pebbling/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“If I am to be a skeleton in a box buried deep into the ground, I pray you will be the dust that rests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hennessy/if-i-am-to-be-a-skeleton-in-a-box-buried-deep-into-the-ground-i-pray/) [John Hennessy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hennessy/) > [The dreams are the skeleton of all reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/the-dreams-are-the-skeleton-of-all-reality/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“I see my skeleton walking down the street now. I’m walking behind it. Our feet touch the ground at the same time. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/i-see-my-skeleton-walking-down-the-street-now-i-m-walking-behind-it/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [America forms the longest and straightest bone in the earth's skeleton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/america-forms-the-longest-and-straightest-bone-in-the-earth-s-skeleton/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [A weathered skeleton in windy fields of memory, piercing like a knife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/a-weathered-skeleton-in-windy-fields-of-memory-piercing-like-a-knife/) [Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/) > [The cat which isn't let out of the bag often becomes a skeleton in the cupboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-madan/the-cat-which-isn-t-let-out-of-the-bag-often-becomes-a-skeleton-in/) [Geoffrey Madan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-madan/) > [I was a skeleton compared to what I used to be, but it didn't matter. Nothing really mattered except remaining unbroken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-sands/i-was-a-skeleton-compared-to-what-i-used-to-be-but-it-didn-t-matter/) [Bobby Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-sands/) > [It's not good for you to be barred from traveling to certain places in your head because some skeleton is in the closet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-orzabal/it-s-not-good-for-you-to-be-barred-from-traveling-to-certain-places/) [Roland Orzabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-orzabal/) > [Many women have asked me if it is possible to have a well-built wardrobe on a limited budget. 'Money,' I tell them, 'is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-head/many-women-have-asked-me-if-it-is-possible-to-have-a-well-built/) [Edith Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-head/) > [The more work you put in on your outline and getting the skeleton of your story right, the easier the process is later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-goddard/the-more-work-you-put-in-on-your-outline-and-getting-the-skeleton-of/) [Drew Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-goddard/) > [I love rewriting because that is where and how you discover the story. Its like you have this skeleton, and you get to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-leavitt/i-love-rewriting-because-that-is-where-and-how-you-discover-the-story/) [Caroline Leavitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-leavitt/) > [You can't improv off of bad writing. Then you have to actually create your objective, which is really hard to do in an element…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-coupe/you-can-t-improv-off-of-bad-writing-then-you-have-to-actually-create/) [Eliza Coupe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-coupe/) > [I really like wearing the Octo Finissimo Skeleton, the look is completely different from any other watch! It's a super cool watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-rublev/i-really-like-wearing-the-octo-finissimo-skeleton-the-look-is/) [Andrey Rublev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-rublev/) Browse all 80 Skeleton quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“a picked-clean skeleton sitting there in one of ‘em with its seatbelt still on like it might crank the engine”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hugh Howey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-picked-clean-skeleton-sitting-there-in-one-of-em-with-its-seatbelt/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Skeleton" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-picked-clean-skeleton-sitting-there-in-one-of-em-with-its-seatbelt/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fe/hugh-howey-841_skeleton_a-picked-clean-skeleton-sitting-there-in_379121.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fe/hugh-howey-841_skeleton_a-picked-clean-skeleton-sitting-there-in_379121.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fe/hugh-howey-841_skeleton_a-picked-clean-skeleton-sitting-there-in_379121.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“a picked-clean skeleton sitting there in one of ‘em with its seatbelt still on like it might crank the engine” — Hugh Howey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Hugh Howey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“a picked-clean skeleton sitting there in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-picked-clean-skeleton-sitting-there-in-one-of-em-with-its-seatbelt/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-picked-clean-skeleton-sitting-there-in-one-of-em-with-its-seatbelt/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```